Racquetball - Playing Tips

After more than a half-century, racquetball survived the vagaries of trends and is now played by millions worldwide. Depending on your playing skills, racquetball can be easy and just right or can be hard and fast.

The following are some playing tips directed especially for beginning players or those that are not yet in the mid-class category. At this stage most beginners have not yet acquired playing strategies compared to the more experienced players.

Of course, like most advice in any sport, these are generalized tips at best. They are effective only if you play and apply them.

Serving

Like most ball games similar to racquetball, the serve is an important stroke. You can make your opponent move and miss the ball.

Study the videos of pro players and check out their serves that you can do best and practice them. Keep an arsenal of more than three good ones so your opponents cannot anticipate any.

Another strategy is to use a jam serve to make your opponent off balance. Make the serve in a way that the return will move the ball very fast and directed at your opponent waist-high.

You can also do a drive serve. This one aims the ball at either back wall corner.
Practice hitting this type of shot low enough to bounce twice before the opponent can catch up to it. This one needs a good practice.

Return shots

If your opponent is in the middle of the court, you can hit a passing shot. Play the angle in hitting the front wall so that the returning ball will be deep in a corner.

If your opponent can hit it, he might be in an awkward place at the back corner and will have trouble in the next shot. Again, returning the shots is tricky by themselves. Placing the ball where you want it needs practice.

Weak zones

Mentally divide the court into four rectangles (zones). Discover which of the zones your opponent is weakest (Is he left-handed? Poor backhand player?) and try to exploit that zone. Again, you need to practice first how you can place your shots at will at these distinct areas.

Leaning

Your opponent will look for a certain serve (as you do yourself if he or she serving.) Unconsciously, players tend to lean in that direction. This might be subtle, but you can catch it however fast the game is.

Of course, you would know where to place the ball on seeing your opponent’s anticipation. Hit the ball in the opposite direction to keep him off-balanced.

Jamming and pinning

Jamming is setting your shot fast at your opponent waist-high, especially if he is close to the front wall. First, hit a drop shot that strikes the wall low and with as little momentum as possible.

Pinning is a series of shots to put or “pin” your opponent to as far back of the court as possible. From there, he cannot set up his own shots while you can end it with a drop shot or a very low shot.

Again, all these racquetball tips will remain tips unless you do them and practice them enough to be comfortable in doing them.